An association of accredited clinics has proposed administering flu shots to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) bound for the Middle East as additional protection to the workers and to allay the fears of host nations that they might be carrying the Influenza A (H1N1) virus.

The group said Middle Eastern countries, specifically Saudi Arabia, have expressed alarm over the Philippines' swelling number of H1N1 cases and have requested the clinics screening departing OFWs to do something about the alarming situation.

“The Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the Philippines called (me) to relay this concern. They were alarmed especially since a Filipino nurse working in Riyadh was confirmed to have H1N1,’’ Dr. Rodolfo Punzalan, GAMCA chairman and president, said in an interview.

“I assured him I will discuss their concern among the members. We actually had an emergency meeting with the 17 members (of GAMCA) last Wednesday and we came out with seven proposals, including the provision of vaccine to OFWs,’’ he said.

Each flu shot will cost P500, Punzalan said.

The other proposals are to require OFWs to fill up a questionnaire regarding their health before departing for the host country; to ensure all clinics undertaking medical tests for OFWs have thermoscans; to require agencies to quarantine OFWs found to have fever; to recommend that a throat swab be made at the RITM if doctors see signs indicative of H1N1; to conduct pre-departure tests because the time between the medical exam and the departure takes up to two months; and for foreign employers to shoulder the cost of the flu vaccines for OFWs.

Punzalan said their proposed H3 vaccine, although not specifically for H1N1, is necessary for departing OFWs to the Middle East to give them resistance against upper respiratory tract infections.

“The H3 vaccine will give the OFWs added strength against H1N1 since there is no vaccine at present that can adequately protect persons against this new virus,’’ he said, adding that swine flu vaccines are not yet available.

Punzalan said their proposals, which he will submit to Ambassador Mohammed Ameen Wali on Monday, should allay fears of the host countries regarding the Philippines' reported high cases of confirmed H1N1.

"We want to let them know that GAMCA is responding to their call, and to enlighten them that the Philippines has only mild cases of H1N1 and that the large number is attributed to the Department of Health’s intensified surveillance of the cases,’’ stressed Punzalan.

Asked why GAMCA came out with the proposals only now, Punzalan said: “We do not want to duplicate the functions of the DoH. The DoH is doing a good job.’’

He said GAMCA clinics were activated in response to the Ambassador’s call because the Philippine government is sending large numbers of workers to Saudi Arabia, a major OFW destination.

GAMCA sends at least 500 to 800 skilled and unskilled workers to the Kingdom daily. It member clinics also undertake medical examinations on OFWs bound for Kuwait, Oman and soon, Qatar.

Data from the DoH showed there are now 344 confirmed H1N1 cases in the country, while a community outbreak has been declared In Jaen, Nueva Ecija.

Despite the huge number of cases, DoH said the flu strain that hit the Philippines is a mild one.

RP braces for ‘second wave’ of flu virus

The Philippines is watching out for a “second wave” of the flu virus, saying the upcoming winter season could transform the current Influenza A (H1N1) virus into a more severe strain, Health Undersecretary Mario Villaverde warned Thursday.

“We don’t know how the second wave will be… We hope that even with these seasonal changes, the virus will not evolve into a severe form,” he said in a press briefing.

He said the Department of Health has recorded 242 fully recovered cases out of 344 confirmed A (H1N1) cases.

Villaverde said they have ready funds of P93.5 million to contain the flu spread, 50 to 60 percent of which has already been used by the Department.

“We are not seeking an additional funding for this,” he said.

The DoH official said the public could access free anti-flu medicines in all regional DoH offices and five national referral hospitals.

“We can easily mobilize the additional distribution of drugs within a 24-hour period,” he assured. (Charissa Luci)